Shayla Love
Shayla Love is a staff writer at Psyche. Her science journalism has appeared in Vice, The New York Times and Wired, among others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Written by Shayla Love
Worry and rumination
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Rehashing your problems with friends can turn into a bad habit
Although ‘co-rumination’ bolsters relationships in some ways, it also distracts from other, better coping methods
by Shayla Love
Decision-making
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Why small annoyances can harm us more than big disruptions
A largely forgotten psychological concept helps explain the insidiousness of minor problems – and what to do about it
by Shayla Love
Emerging therapies
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Could dreams during anaesthesia help to heal life’s trauma?
Scientists are studying the dreamlike states produced by anaesthesia – and their potential benefits for people with PTSD
by Shayla Love
Mind and brain
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What films and literature reveal about the voice in your head
Inner speech is mysterious and hard to study. But movie voiceovers and introspective novels offer fresh ways to understand it
by Shayla Love
Addiction
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You can want things you don’t like and like things you don’t want
The distinct neurochemistry of wanting and liking is helping to make sense of addiction – and more everyday behaviours
by Shayla Love
Habits and routines
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Is it better to live in ‘clock time’ or ‘event time’?
Do you stick to a set schedule, or have a looser relationship to the clock? It can affect more than how you plan your day
by Shayla Love
Death and dying
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Why so many of us see our loved ones after they have died
These experiences – which are more of an illusion than a hallucination – can be a healthy part of the grieving process
by Shayla Love
Mind and brain
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What is it like to remember all the faces you’ve ever seen?
They’ve been studied by researchers and recruited by police forces, but what’s it actually like to be a super-recogniser?
by Shayla Love
Emerging therapies
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Could that tingle down the spine be a way to rediscover joy?
In new research, scientists have looked into the potential benefits of giving people with depression the aesthetic chills
by Shayla Love
Worry and rumination
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Should you confront your worries or try to banish them?
Psychotherapists have long believed it’s a bad idea to suppress worrisome thoughts, but new research is prompting a rethink
by Shayla Love
Dissociation and detachment
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The therapeutic potential, and addictive lure, of losing yourself
In ketamine therapy and other contexts, dissociation is seen as an unwanted side-effect. But what if there’s more to it?
by Shayla Love
Psychosis and schizophrenia
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Rubber hand illusions shed new light on our bodily sense of self
Testing the illusions on those who have entered altered states offers clues about the experience of being in control
by Shayla Love